History Trivia / Nirvana

* ThePeteBest: Guitarist Jason Everman, who was credited on ''Bleach'' despite not playing on it because he financed the sessions. Also applies to original drummer Chad Channing.

* BlackSheepHit: "Aneurysm" from ''Music/{{Incesticide}}''. The song was only a BSide and later was ranked in third place for best Music/{{Nirvana}} song, right under "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Heart Shaped Box". Made all the more impressive since it was the final track on the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single and the final track on their 15 song compilation album released in 1992.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Kurt said he was "gay in spirit" and "probably could be bisexual", and "If I wouldn't have found Music/{{Courtney|Love}}, I probably would have carried on with a bisexual lifestyle."
** He once had a homosexual male friend who tried to kiss him, but Kurt backed away and told his friend he was not gay but would still be friends with him.

** "You Know You're Right" was this for a '''long''' while back in the day. Dave and Krist garnered in a lawsuit, with Courtney Love due to their interest in releasing the song in a box set, but Love argued the song would be wasted in a box set. The song was eventually released in a greatest hits compilation simply entitled ''Nirvana'' as an agreement between Love and Dave/Krist, although a box set of the band ''was'' released a few years later under the name ''With the Lights Out''.

** This might be sacrilege, but one of the cartoon bands on ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' was called Nirvana.

* WorkingTitle: ''Nevermind'' could have been ''Sheep'' and ''In Utero'' could have been ''I Hate Myself And Want To Die''. For songs, "Breed" was originally "Imodium" (after an anti-diarrheal medication), and "Stay Away" was originally "Pay To Play". "Pay to play" means a few different things in the music industry, but here it was used to refer to paying radio stations to put a song in heavy rotation. Once Nirvana signed with Creator/GeffenRecords, they decided it'd be [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] for a major label band to protest such things, so they changed the title and chorus.

** "You Know You're Right" was this for a '''long''' while back in the day. Dave and Krist garnered in a law suit with Courtney Love due to their interest in releasing the song in a box set but Love argued the song would be wasted in a box set. The song was eventually released in a greatest hits compilation simply entitled ''Nirvana'' as an agreement between Love and Dave/Krist, although a box set of the band ''was'' released a few years later under the name ''With the Lights Out''.

** While working on ''Music/{{Bleach}}'', the band had been experimenting with Drop D tuning. Before recording "Blew", Krist Novoselic had forgotten that he'd left his bass in drop D, so he re-tuned it as though it was in standard tuning to begin with, ending up recording his part in drop C#. This was the take that was used for the album because it just sounded cooler.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Kurt said he was "gay in spirit" and "probably could be bisexual", and "If I wouldn't have found Courtney, I probably would have carried on with a bisexual lifestyle."

* [[AuthorExistenceFailure Artist Existence Failure]]: Cobain.

* NoBudget: ''Music/{{Bleach}}'' was recorded on a budget of just over $600. Guitarist Jason Everman supplied the money. He is credited as a guitarist on the album, though he didn't actually play on it.

* TroubledProduction: The video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" suffered from a clash between lead vocalist Kurt Cobain and the video's director Samuel Bayer. Bayer wanted to have a video full of attractive women and a high glossy production, Cobain demanded the women in the video look more average and the video have a dirty, gritty tinge to it. If you've ever asked yourself why the riot in the video looked so realistic, it's because the audience really ''was'' rioting. Despite efforts from the director and crew to settle them down, they started tearing the set apart. This ended up doing the video a favor, as it made everything look authentic, but it was a nightmare for the crew and the band. Drummer Dave Grohl recalled the situation as a giant headache. Once filming was done, Bayer insisted on showing more footage of the janitor than of Cobain. Cobain had to have a record executive force control out of Bayer's hands to change this. The video proved to be massively popular and almost single-handedly ushered in the alternative age of popular music.

* GenreKiller: As WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows put it, Nirvana killed a lot of careers. Nirvana's explosion onto the mainstream and the ushering in an era dominated by AlternativeRock pretty much killed any of the "slicker" styles of music that were predominant in the previous decade, namely hair- and glam-metal and dance pop. (The Music/MilliVanilli lip-synching incident had happened less than two years prior, sending the message that pop music had officially become as synthetic as it'd ever be and that it was time for more earthy styles of music. This also led to the rise of GangstaRap.) The band's breakthrough also killed off pretty much any alternative band that wasn't grunge, though some of the bigger acts from the '80s like Music/{{U2}}, Music/TheCure, Music/DepecheMode and Music/NewOrder managed to hang on. Kurt Cobain's suicide was considered the beginning of the end of {{Grunge}} in turn.

* WorkingTitle: ''Nevermind'' could have been ''Sheep'' and ''In Utero'' could have been ''I Hate Myself And Want To Die''. For songs, "Breed" was originally "Imodium" (after an anti-diarrheal medication) and "Stay Away" was originally "Pay To Play". "Pay to play" means a few different things in the music industry, but here it was used to refer to paying radio stations to put a song in heavy rotation. Once Nirvana signed with Creator/GeffenRecords, they decided it'd be [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] for a major label band to protest such things, so they changed the title and chorus.

** Twice on ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' regarding the cover artwork. The first was a more positive example, with Kurt being talked out of using a very graphic image of a water birth, complete with blood and placenta, in favor of the now-famous "naked baby" photo. However, there were concerned about the head of the baby's penis being visible. Kurt fought to keep it visible and when the label suggesting putting a sticker on the outer casing so as not to offend record-store shoppers, Kurt said he'd only agree if the sticker said “If you're offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile.”

** Twice on ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' regarding the cover artwork. The first was a more positive example, with Kurt being talked out of using a very graphic image of a water birth, complete with blood and placenta, in favor of the now-famous "naked baby" photo. However, there were concerned about the head of the baby's penis being visible. Kurt fought to keep it visible and when the label suggesting putting a sticker on the outer casing so as not to offend record-store shoppers, Kurt said he'd only agree if the sticker said "If you are offended by this, then you're a closeted pedophile."

* BlackSheepHit: "Aneurysm" from ''Music/{{Incesticide}}''. The song was only a BSide and later was ranked in third place for best Nirvana song, right under "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Heart Shaped Box". Made all the more impressive since it was the final track on the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single and the final track on their 15 song compilation album released in 1992.

** A literal one came when Kurt killed himself, of course.
** Metaphorically, it has also been noted that Nirvana's explosive success did this to many of the rock musicians of TheEighties, setting off a paradigm shift that left many of those artists feeling like relics unless they were able to either reinvent themselves or otherwise find a way to fit in with the times. ''Film/TheWrestler'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND1_Sc17SGE a famous scene]] where Randy and Pam, both fans of '80s HairMetal, blame Nirvana for "ruining" rock music, and WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows, while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fu40YANO1M covering]] Music/BillyIdol's ''Cyberpunk'' on his ''Trainwreckords'' series about creator-killing albums, notes that the words "Nirvana killed my career" can sum up the trajectory of a great many '80s artists trying to stay relevant in the '90s.

* GenreKiller: As WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows put it, Nirvana killed a lot of careers. Nirvana's explosion onto the mainstream and the ushering in an era dominated by AlternativeRock pretty much killed any of the "slicker" styles of music that were predominant in the previous decade, namely hair- and glam-metal and dance pop. (The Music/MilliVanilli lip-synching incident had happened less than two years prior, sending the message that pop music had officially become as synthetic as it'd ever be and that it was time for more earthy styles of music. This also led to the rise of GangstaRap.) Kurt Cobain's suicide was considered the beginning of the end of {{Grunge}} in turn.

* GenreKiller: As Music/ToddInTheShadows put it, Nirvana killed a lot of careers. Nirvana's explosion onto the mainstream and the ushering in an era dominated by AlternativeRock pretty much killed any of the "slicker" styles of music that were predominant in the previous decade, namely hair- and glam-metal and dance pop. (The Music/MilliVanilli lip-synching incident had happened less than two years prior, sending the message that pop music had officially become as synthetic as it'd ever be and that it was time for more earthy styles of music. This also led to the rise of GangstaRap.) Kurt Cobain's suicide was considered the beginning of the end of {{Grunge}} in turn.

* GenreKiller: Nirvana's explosion onto the mainstream and the ushering in an era dominated by AlternativeRock pretty much killed any of the "slicker" styles of music that were predominant in the previous decade, namely hair- and glam-metal and dance pop. (The Music/MilliVanilli lip-synching incident had happened less than two years prior, sending the message that pop music had officially become as synthetic as it'd ever be and that it was time for more earthy styles of music. This also led to the rise of GangstaRap.) Kurt Cobain's suicide was considered the beginning of the end of {{Grunge}} in turn.

** [[Music/{{REM}} Michael Stipe]] has said that their fourth album would've been softer and folkier, with some string arrangements, similar to ''Automatic for the People''. Stipe also badly wanted to collaborate with Cobain, partly as an excuse to get Cobain away from drugs. Reportedly Cobain cancelled with Stipe right before he went into rehab.
** In 1993, the band wanted to enlist a second guitarist for live shows, and chose Pat Smear, who toured with the band and appeared on ''MTV Unplugged in New York''. [[http://loudwire.com/dave-grohl-names-guitarists-nirvana-considered-recruiting-before-pat-smear/ According to]] Music/DaveGrohl, they also considered asking [[{{Music/Mudhoney}} Steve Turner]] or [[{{Music/Melvins}} Buzz Osbourne]], but "didn’t want to break up Music/{{Mudhoney}} or the Music/{{Melvins}}". Aside from potentially splitting up the aforementioned groups (or just forcing them to work around Nirvana's touring schedule), this also could have affected Music/FooFighters: It's possible Pat Smear wouldn't have ended up in the band if he hadn't already worked with Music/DaveGrohl.

* WorkingTitle: ''Nevermind'' could have been ''Sheep'' and ''In Utero'' could have been ''I Hate Myself And Want To Die''. For songs, "Breed" was originally "Imodium" (after an anti-diarrheal medication) and "Stay Away" was originally "Pay To Play". "Pay to play" means a few different things in the music industry, but here it was used to refer to paying radio stations to put a song in heavy rotation. Once Nirvana signed with Creator/GeffenRecords, they decided it'd be [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] for a major label band to protest such things, so they changed the title and chorus.
** Amusingly, "Scentless Apprentice" was called "Chuck Chuck Fo Fuck" (and a few variations thereof) before it had proper lyrics: The song's rhythm reminded the band of the 60's novelty song "The Name Game".

** While Dave Grohl's next band Music/FooFighters is generally acknowledged not to have had as much cultural impact as ''Nirvana,'' for him personally, it was a breakout from being virtually anonymous as "just the drummer" in the background to the leader and FaceOfTheBand of one of the most popular, commercially successful and critically acclaimed rock bands of the late '90s and early 21st century.

* TroubledProduction: The video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" suffered from a clash between lead vocalist Kurt Cobain and the video's director Samuel Bayer. Bayer wanted to have a video full of attractive women and a high glossy production, Cobain demanded the women in the video look more average and the video have a dirty, gritty tinge to it. If you've ever asked yourself why the riot in the video looked so realistic, it's because the audience really ''was'' rioting. Despite efforts from the director and crew the settle them down, they started tearing the set apart. This ended up doing the video a favor, as it made everything look authentic, but it was a nightmare for the crew and the band. Drummer Dave Grohl recalled the situation as a giant headache. Once filming was done, Bayer insisted on showing more footage of the janitor than of Cobain. Cobain had to have a record executive force control out of Bayer's hands to change this. The video proved to be massively popular and almost single-handedly ushered in the alternative age of popular music.

* TroubledProduction: The video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" suffered from a clash between lead vocalist Kurt Cobain and the video's director Samuel Bayer. Bayer wanted to have a video full of attractive women and a high glossy production, Cobain demanded the women in the video look more average and the video have a dirty, gritty tinge to it. If you've ever asked yourself why the riot in the video looked so realistic, it's because the audience really *was* rioting. Despite efforts from the director and crew the settle them down, they started tearing the set apart. This ended up doing the video a favor, as it made everything look authentic, but it was a nightmare for the crew and the band. Drummer Dave Grohl recalled the situation as a giant headache. Once filming was done, Bayer insisted on showing more footage of the janitor than of Cobain. Cobain had to have a record executive force control out of Bayer's hands to change this. The video proved to be massively popular and almost single-handedly ushered in the alternative age of popular music.

* WorkingTitle: ''Nevermind'' could have been ''Sheep'' and ''In Utero'' could have been ''I Hate Myself And Want To Die''. For songs, "Breed" was originally "Imodium" and "Stay Away" was originally "Pay To Play". "Pay to play" means a few different things in the music industry, but here it was used to refer to paying radio stations to put a song in heavy rotation - Once Nirvana signed with Geffen, they decided it'd be hypocritical for a major label band to protest such things, so they changed the title and chorus.

** In the UK on ''Series/TopOfThePops'' (which is known for its making bands mime performances to a pre-recorded backing track -- basically one step above lip-synching), Kurt sang in a deep voice to annoy the people insisting he play "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and to imitate Music/{{Morrissey}.

* PromotedFanboy: Cobain always made sure to plug his favorite bands in interviews and several of them (Meat Puppets, The Melvins, The Vaselines and Music/ShonenKnife, just to name a few) got major label record deals just because Cobain said he liked them. Nirvana also got a record contract thanks to the support of Music/SonicYouth, a band they were all big fans of and quickly befriended afterwards.

* {{Ambiguously Bi}}: Kurt said he was "gay in spirit" and "probably could be bisexual", and "If I wouldn't have found Courtney, I probably would have carried on with a bisexual lifestyle."

* BlackSheepHit: "Aneurysm" from ''Music/{{Incesticide}}'', the song was only a BSide and later was ranked in third place for best Nirvana song, right under "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Heart Shaped Box". Made all the more impressive since it was the final track on the Smells Like Teen Spirit single and the final track on their 15 song compilation album released in 1992.

** Kurt eventually got so fed up with the excessive focus on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' that he would purposely trick and antagonize crowds at some of the shows, if they insisted that the band play the song. Most often, he would play the intro to ''Smells Like Teen Spirit'', and go right into ''Rape Me'' (with a similar opening riff) instead.
** In the UK on Series/TopOfThePops (which is known for its making bands mime performances to a pre-recorded backing track -- basically one step above lip-synching), Kurt sang in a deep voice to annoy the people insisting he play ''Smells Like Teen Spirit'', and to imitate [[Music/TheSmiths Morrissey.]]
** In ''Live At Reading'', the band went into a hilariously bad rendition of {{Music/Boston}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3XIGon2RjY "More Than A Feeling"]] to {{lampshade}} [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong the similarity between the song's chorus and "Smells Like Teen Spirit".]]

* DoingItForTheArt: When recording ''Music/InUtero'', Steve Albini indulged Kurt's dream of capturing a lot of ambient noise from a tiny recording space. They not only miked the amps and drum kit, but also the walls, ceiling, and floor with duct tape. Balancing this tone achieved the dark, claustrophobic sound Kurt was chasing in his mind.
* ExecutiveMeddling: Twice on ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' regarding the cover artwork. The first was a more positive example, with Kurt being talked out of using a very graphic image of a water birth, complete with blood and placenta, in favor of the now-famous "naked baby" photo. However, there were concerned about the head of the baby's penis being visible. Kurt fought to keep it visible and when the label suggesting putting a sticker on the outer casing so as not to offend record-store shoppers, Kurt said he'd only agree if the sticker said "If you are offended by this, then you're a closeted pedophile."

* GenreKiller: Nirvana's explosion onto the mainstream and the ushering in an era dominated by {{alternative rock}} pretty much killed any of the "slicker" styles of music that were predominant in the previous decade, namely hair- and glam-metal and dance pop (the Music/MilliVanilli lip-syncing incident had happened less than two years prior, sending the message that pop music had officially become as synthetic as it'd ever be and that it was time for more earthy styles of music. This also led to the rise of GangstaRap). Kurt Cobain's suicide was considered the beginning of the end of grunge in turn.

** This might be sacrilege, but one of the cartoon bands on Jem and the Holograms was called Nirvana.

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* BreakupBreakout: While Dave Grohl's next band Music/FooFighters is generally acknowledged not to have had as much cultural impact as ''Nirvana,'' for him personally, it was a breakout from being virtually anonymous as "just the drummer" in the background to the leader and FaceOfTheBand of one of the most popular, commercially successful and critically acclaimed rock bands of the late '90s and early 21st century.

** In 1993, the band wanted to enlist a second guitarist for live shows, and chose Pat Smear, who toured with the band and appeared on ''MTV Unplugged in New York''. [[http://loudwire.com/dave-grohl-names-guitarists-nirvana-considered-recruiting-before-pat-smear/ According to]] Music/DaveGrohl, they also considered asking [[{{Music/Mudhoney}} Steve Turner]] or [[{{Music/Melvins}} Buzz Osbourne]], but "didn’t want to break up {{Music/Mudhoney}} or the {{Music/Melvins}}". Aside from potentially splitting up the aforementioned groups (or just forcing them to work around Nirvana's touring schedule), this also could have affected Music/FooFighters: It's possible Pat Smear wouldn't have ended up in the band if he hadn't already worked with Music/DaveGrohl.

** "Talk To Me" was a song they occasionally performed live between 1991 and 1992, notable for its catchy NewWaveMusic-influenced rhythm. The band never brought it to the studio themselves, but {{Music/Hole}} attempted a studio version, and Kurt also tried to get Music/IggyPop to record it. Iggy would later explain that although was a fan of Nirvana, he had to turn it down because he was only interested in performing his own original material.

* DoingItForTheArt: When recording ''Music/{{InUtero}}'', Steve Albini indulged Kurt's dream of capturing a lot of ambient noise from a tiny recording space. They not only miked the amps and drum kit, but also the walls, ceiling, and floor with duct tape. Balancing this tone achieved the dark, claustrophobic sound Kurt was chasing in his mind.

* CreatorBreakdown: ''Music/{{In Utero}}''.

** [[Music/{{REM}} Michael Stipe]] has said that their fourth album would've been softer and folkier, with some string arrangements, similar to ''Automatic for the People''. Stipe also badly wanted to do collaborate with Cobain, partly as an excuse to get Cobain away from drugs. Reportedly Cobain cancelled with Stipe right before he went into rehab.